


The Curious Case of Micheal Reed

by Clockworkcreation



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Clones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Secrets, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lies, M/M, Memory Erasing Gun, Memory Loss, Multi, Precious, Questioning, Questions, Secrets, Skeletons In The Closet, cloning, curious, never let go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 03:16:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17072477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clockworkcreation/pseuds/Clockworkcreation
Summary: Rabbit was more serious than the Spine had seen her be in years. "Micheal can never know."Her brother nodded in agreement. "Never. He'd leave us for sure if he knew."This little story came from the patreaon Character Chat with The Spine and Rabbit (12/19/18) regarding Micheal Reed, a human, being in the band of musical automatons.





	The Curious Case of Micheal Reed

"So whose the 'real' Micheal Reed?"

Micheal leaned his forehead onto the cold glass of the passenger seat of the van Steve was currently driving. It was such a simple question the interviewer ask. Rabbit had answered before he had a chance to really think about it, with some such nonsense, as was her way but that question... It had been swirling in his mind all night, even during the show and then after. 

Now on the drive back to the manor he still wasn't finding any peace. At least the sky was clear. Stars, Micheal could always find comfort in the stars.

"You okay Mike?" Steve asked, before shouting behind him. "Hey! Put those cables down there expensive!" 

Zero and Rabbit had decided to tie the audio cables into bows and were trying to tie them onto the Spine who was having none of that. Steve had scolded but right now that was all he could do as he turned his attention back to the road, and back to Micheal. "So what's eating you?"

Micheal sighed. "It was that one question the reporter asked. You know about..."

"Micheal! Have some p-p-pork rinds!" Rabbit shoved a bag at him, almost smacking him right in the head.

Micheal took the bag. "Rabbit, you know I don't like pork rinds but fine...." He tore the bag open. "Pork rind?" he held it out to Steve who took a handful with a mumbled thanks.

Rabbit held back her smirk as Micheal began to munch. He always said he didn't like them, yet he always ate them. Influenced by a memory from long, long ago.

The Spine gave her a warning look. A look that spoke so much without a single word. Rabbit gave him a slight nod, missed by Zero who was playing with a coil of wires he had found. Micheal had been dutifully distracted. At least for the moment.

It was late when the band got back to the manor. Even later by the time the gear was put away and Micheal went to his room. Usually he would immediately crash into bed but tonight he couldn't. There was so much and yet so little on his mind. He was trying to remember. He knew who his parents were. Frank and Margret Reed, but he couldn't really picture there faces. He..wasn't even sure he had any pictures of them. Micheal tried to focus, to remember anything. There was a memory of a man teaching him to ride a bike but it looked wrong somehow. The bike had one large wheel and one tiny one. Maybe he was mistaken. He remembered falling off it...that was how he had this scar on his elbow. 

His mother used to sing alot. All the time in fact, no matter what she was doing she would hum a little tune. He could just remember her in the kitchen, her pale hands mixing a bowl of cookie dough while she hummed a sweet tune. She would always run her hand through his hair and send him off to play.

They had died. He had been young, still couldn't really remember what happened. Just choking in tears then The Spine was there, picking him up out of the cobble stone street. Wait...had he been in the street? Crying? Yes, that part of his memory seemed clear. But the other things...he thought he could hear horses and the sound of hooves and carriage wheels. But he wasn't that old. Just 33 and no one used horse drawn transportation anymore.

Micheal sighed and rolled over turning off his light. Things would feel better in the morning, they always did. 

The Spine stood motionless and silent against the wall outside Micheal room. He had been there for hours. Ever since Micheal had gone to bed. Only when the human's snores began to come through the heavy curtain that served as a doorway, did The Spine move from his place of guarding.

"Zero's asleep." Rabbit said softly as the Spine met her halfway down the hall. "He d-d-doesn't know."

The Spine breathed out some steam from his lips like a sad dragon. "He'll know eventually, the truth about our human friend."

Rabbit was more serious than the Spine had seen her be in years. "Micheal can never know." 

Her brother nodded in agreement. "Never. He'd leave us if he knew." The Spine turned his head looking back at Micheal's room. 

"We c-c-can't lose him. I-I-I-I would break d-d-down forever." Rabbit said, glitching badly at the thought. She meant it too. Micheal Reed was the automatons one true focal point. A Walter was important but a Reed, this Reed, was something else entirely. Without him around, they would fall apart in a way no science could ever fix.

"What number are we up to now? 67?"

"No, 68. Micheal Reed number 68." Rabbit replied.

The Spine's green optics grew dim with sadness. So many Micheal's they had lost. Pappy had been right, the manor needed a Reed as much as it needed a Walter to run it. "I think he's starting to remember or at least trying too. Did you bring it?"

Rabbit held up an old glass vial. It was very old, the paper label long yellowed and unreadable but the twin robots knew exactly what it was. "I don't l-l-like doing this but..."

The Spine took the bottle from his sister. "I know. I don't either but we both know what will keep happening if he keeps questioning things. I'll do it Rabbit. You can go get some sleep."

Rabbit shook her head. "I'll keep watch." She said quietly, they had moved back to just outside Micheal's room. "You know how Steve likes to wander at night."

The Spine nodded. "I won't be long." he slipped silently past the fabric that covered the doorway and into Micheal's room. he was sleeping soundly on his bed. Without so much as a leak of steam The Spine crossed the room and opened the bottle, adding a few drops to the water at Micheal's bedside. There human was a creature of habit, he usually woke before dawn to use the bathroom, then he would drink down his water from the night stand before going back to sleep.

"Its done." The Spine said quietly.

Rabbit nodded. "See ya in the morning Spine." 

"Goodnight Rabbit."

*****  
Micheal awoke feeling refreshed and happy. So very happy. The sun was shining, birds were singing, he felt like all his worries in the world had washed away over night. He whistled a cheery tune as he walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Micheal." The Spine said, looking up from his paper.

"Morning Spine. Sure looks like its going to be a wonderful day." Micheal said offhandedly as he opened the refrigerator his song like whistle returning. 

The Spine hid his smirk behind the newsprint. Micheal was back to normal. The questions and turmoil in his mind washed away like grains of sand when the tide changes. After all they weren't ready to lose this Reed, not yet, not for many more years.


End file.
